It Takes Two
by Florexandra
Summary: A Deception AU where everything is practically the same except for one important fact... Kay has twin daughters. Enjoy this retelling of this amazing show.


**In collaboration with** **s4karuna** **, she introduced this idea by striking up a conversation with me (so glad she did) and we've been building on it for a couple months and we finally decided to actually write it! XD**

 **Hope you like it guys!**

 _O'Leary's was the last stop on Team Deception's bar hopping night, their usual homecoming tradition when they came_ _back to New York after a national tour. Dina had somehow managed to wrangle Gunther into doing a duet with her while Cameron and Jordan were downing shots in a corner booth, occasionally heckling Gunther._

" _Okay..." Jordan slurred. He was a bit of a lightweight and despite having matched shot for shot with him, Cameron didn't seem as drunk, only slightly tipsy. "Cameron..."_

" _Yes Jordan?"_

" _I got a challenge for you."_

" _Oh?" Cameron raised his eyebrows, "What are the stakes?"_

" _If… If you win..." Jordan garbled, "I… will dye my hair… hot pink again."_

 _Cameron was intrigued, "And if you win?"_

" _You… will do whatever I say."_

 _Cameron raised an eyebrow at that. "Uh Jordan, I don't know where you're going with this, but I just wanna be friends."_

" _Ha!" Jordan slapped the table, "You wish you could land this… but no." Jordan looked to be thinking, "If I win… I have something else in mind..."_

" _Are… are you going to tell me?"_

" _Nope! I'll… I'll only tell you if I win."_

 _Cameron smirked, "So that's how you want to play it?" He did another shot, "Fine. What is your challenge?"_

" _I... dare you... to take a shot."_

" _Wait, that's your challenge?" Cameron snorted, "We've been doing that all night."_

 _Jordan wagged his finger, "Oh-ho-ho-ho... no, my friend. Not just any... shot." He downed another, "I'm talking about... the infamous Smoker's Cough."_

" _The Smoker's Cough?"_

" _It's a shot of Jagermeister... topped off with mayonnaise."_

 _Cameron scrunched his face at that, "Ew, mayonnaise?"_

" _It's not… not too late to back out."_

 _Cameron took another one of the shots in front of him with a shake of his head. "No way." He swiftly downed the drink, "Take that as an 'I accept your challenge'."_

" _There's only one rule." Jordan stated, "You're not allowed to gag or spit it back after drinking it." He got from his stool, "I'll be right back."_

 _Cameron downed another shot. How bad could this drink be? He'd had worse things before so it couldn't be as bad as Jordan had implied. A few minutes later, Jordan came back with a shot in hand and sure enough, it was topped with good old fashioned mayonnaise._

" _Here… you go." Jordan shakily placed the drink in front of his friend. He really was a lightweight._

 _Cameron picked up the shot and eyed it for a moment, "Okay… here goes."_

 _Jordan watched him as the blue-eyed man shrugged and downed it in one go. He seemed to be alright at first. Then his face scrunched up in disgust as he clapped a hand over his mouth to contain his coughing._

" _G'ugh! It's vile!" He wheezed. "What the hell is in that?"_

 _Jordan laughed as Cameron let out a couple of coughs, "I had the bartender…" Jordan slurred, "M-make the drink with Andong soju instead. Packs quite a punch, doesn't it?"_

" _Oh yeah. Can't help but think-" He coughed again, "That might have be cheating. Not even your hal-abeoji can drink it and he could give vodka guzzling Russian ex-soldiers a run for their money at his age."_

" _You never said I couldn't change anything."_

" _Well played Kwon. Well played." Cameron mumbled, "So what is it you want me to do?" Cameron would be lying if he said that the gleeful look on Jordan's face didn't make him feel a little nervous._

Three years later…

The Archive had been host to many Team Deception celebrations over the years, but this had to be a first. Helping the FBI break a major case by doing what the team did best had... sparked something in him for lack of a better word. Through the din of the party, Cameron spotted Kay in the corner, her phone to her ear as-was she smiling just now?

It wasn't like he hadn't seen her smile before, but this one was different. It was one of pure joy, her eyes radiating every ounce of love in her heart.

It was beautiful. That smile was beautiful.

He was so caught up in his thoughts that he only managed to catch Kay saying "-okay, I'll see you in a minute, honey."

 _Wait, what?_

Honey? Suddenly, Cameron was very interested to know who she had been talking to. He just wasn't expecting there to be anyone who would make someone as cool and professional as Kay call them "honey" of all things. He shook his head and escaped to the balcony.

Kay noticed him walk out as she hung up before her eye caught one of his show posters. The past couple of days had showed her that he wasn't just some playboy illusionist. Magic really was his life. It really meant something to him… and his brother meant everything to him, she could tell. It reminded her so much of her and Caroline in the past, she mused as she joined him on the balcony.

"Hey." She said as she walked up next to him.

He grinned, "Hey."

"You did good Cameron." Kay told him, "Thank you."

His smile only widened, "Don't mention it. Sorry we didn't get off to the best start."

"Water under the bridge."

They were silent for a moment. Cameron opened his mouth, about to ask something like _so who were you on the phone with if you don't mind my asking_ , when he suddenly heard what sounded like little kids squealing in the other room.

"Uh Kay? Are you babysitting or something 'cause whose kids am I hearing?"

Kay's lips twitched in amusement. "I'm not babysitting, it's a completely different thing."

Well, if they were going to start working together, she might as well tell him now.

"You don't babysit your own kids."

Cameron's jaw dropped. "You have _kids_?!"

Kay nodded. "Twin girls." She had been a little hesitant to tell him that part, worried that it might hit a little too close to home. "The sitter's just bringing them here for me."

Cameron was about to respond, say anything other than _since when do you have kids and when you gonna let me meet them_ , when he heard shrieking giggles as a pair of tiny toddlers holding hands, dressed in pink and purple tumbled onto the balcony.

"Oh my God," he gaped, shocked by the sight of two identical girls with round apple cheeks and adorable little dimples waddling over to Kay, "there's two of them."

It was impossible not to see the resemblance to Kay when they had the same feathery dark curls and bronze skin. They were perfect little copies of their mother... except for the eyes. The girls' eyes were opal blue and star-like and Cameron's smile was fading fast because he never considered the possibility of her being _married_ with kids. Even though he had secretly checked her hands several times for a ring only to find nothing.

Kay laughed as she picked up one of the giggling toddlers, who had purple overalls and a gold bunny shaped clip in her hair. "Well, I assume that as a twin yourself, you'd understand that twins generally come in twos."

Still, he had to admit that even he and Johnny weren't this cute at that age. Kay's genes were truly magical.

"Soooo…" he drawled, "Who's the lucky guy?" He wasn't going to try to beat around the bush this time. If she was with someone then he didn't want to step over any boundaries.

Kay was silent for a moment as she settled her daughter on her hip. "Donor #478."

Cameron scrunched his nose in confusion.

"There's not really a father in the picture," Kay explained, straightforward as always. "I honestly couldn't tell you who he is if I wanted to. Kind of the point." That wasn't the part that confused him. It was just… there was something about that number. Something familiar.

"You're a single mom?"

Kay nodded, unashamed. She decided a long time ago that she wasn't going to have a partner and ended up with two when she went in for one. She suspected that identical twins ran in the donor's family. Kay's mother had helped take care of the girls until her strength had failed and she would've been completely alone if it weren't for Mike and Lara.

"That's… kind of amazing," he grinned in wonder.

Kay chuckled, "Well not everybody thinks so."

"Eh, screw what other people think."

He suddenly felt a tiny hand tug at his pant leg. He looked down and found a familiar pair of blue eyes staring up at him in wonder. The girls had obviously inherited Kay's impossibly long eyelashes and he was positive that they would destroy hearts someday just like their mother.

He crouched down, smiling at the little girl, still amazed at the power of genetics. "Hi there."

The girls were nearly identical, but this one had hair that was a shade or two lighter than her sister and a pink penguin print headband that matched her overalls.

"That's Liya." Kay explained.

"Hi Liya."

Liya eagerly raised her arms up and her tiny voice squeaked, "Up. Up."

Cameron gave a quick look to Kay, "Do you mind?"

Kay looked a little surprised. Liya wasn't usually so friendly with strangers. The agent shook her head before she thought much of it. "Uh, no. Go ahead."

Cameron scooped up the little girl and she beamed up at him. He paused as he noticed Kay's unreadable expression, "What's wrong?"

"Nothing. It's just… Liya usually isn't so welcoming to new people."

"Well, maybe she can tell I'm not so bad." Liya rested her head on Cameron's shoulder. He briefly caught the comforting scent of baby powder as she did so and it made him melt a little. "Who's this other little lady?"

"This is my oldest, Ayana." Cameron smiled at the toddler and Ayana gave him a tiny smile. "Ayana, you can say hi."

Ayana waved and squeaked a little, "Hi."

Cameron grinned at the little girl, "Hi Ayana." The little girl buried her face in her mother's shoulder and yeah, he was just about dying from the sheer cuteness of the Daniels girls.

"So Liya and Ayana, huh?"

"My mother's Ethiopian. Her grandmother came here from Addis Ababa all by herself to start a new life and I think she would've had some very strong words with me if I didn't follow the Assefa family tradition."

Cameron chuckled as a thought popped into his head. "Does this mean that Kay's just a nickname?"

Kay rolled her eyes. "Cameron Black, you can't expect me to give away all my secrets." She'd keep her birth name to herself for a while.

"Eh, between Mike the fanboy and Jordan's hacking, I'll figure it out eventually. How old are the girls anyway?"

"They just turned two a couple of weeks ago."

"Wow. Well, I should get them something then. How do they feel about stuffed animals?"

Kay chuckled, "Cameron, that's sweet but-"

"No, no, I'm serious. Two is a big milestone." He grinned. Somehow, for a moment, he wasn't feeling hopeless.

"So what's next?" Kay asked, "You go after the mystery woman who framed Jonathan? I still have to prove she did it." Cameron figured she was right, "What about your show, your team?"

"When we were kids," Cameron started, "I was the performer, the onstage persona, but Johnny was 'The Disappearing Boy' hidden under the stage, behind the curtain, but he was always there for me..." He turned to face the agent he's decided he's befriended, "I have to get him out, Kay." He could feel Liya's little arms wrap around his neck in a pseudo hug, almost like she was trying to comfort him.  
Kay nodded in understanding, "I did notice something. Jonathan's illusionist copied every detail from your disappearing-jet trick except one."  
Cameron raised his eyebrows in surprise. "You watched my special?" He turned his head to the toddler in his arms, "Did your mom watch my special?" Liya just giggled.

Kay laughed, "Okay. I saw it. It was fantastic."  
Cameron grinned in disbelief, "Fantastic? Wow."  
"After you made your jet disappear, you left something behind. Deck of playing cards."  
Cameron nodded in realization, "We should go back to the hangar and make sure she didn't-" He was cut off by Kay pulling out an evidence bag with a deck of cards in it. He chuckled, "You already went."  
She grinned. There was that smile again, "This is where I say 'ta-da,' right?" Ayana giggled at the way her mother was speaking. Despite being so young, Ayana and Liya never heard their mother sound so playful.

"Yeah." Cameron smiled as he reached for the deck, "May I?" She handed him the bag. He pulled out the deck. It made a few beeping noises before it started to ring. He answered.

"Hello Cameron." A woman's voice came from the other line.  
Cameron could feel his frustration flare up. "Who are you?"

She shook her head. "Always asking the wrong questions."  
"Why are you doing this?"

She raised an eyebrow, smirking slightly. "You don't remember? Don't worry. I don't blame you for that. But I've thought about you and Jonathan for show's about to begin my show. Are you ready?"

Cameron heard the sound of Beethoven's _Fur Elise_ being played in the background. "You're in the Frankfurt International terminal. Spent the last twelve months flying around the world, and airport acoustics are pretty distinctive. Plus, Frankfurt pumps muzak Beethoven like they're afraid someone might forget he's German." Cameron could have sworn he heard this mystery woman's breath stop for a split second. "Tell me, did you look over your shoulder?"

She raised her eyebrows. "Goodbye Cameron."  
"Get used to looking. We're coming for you." It was all Cameron could say before the call disconnected.

"Hey." Kay said as she adjusted Ayana in her arms, "You alright?"

Cameron pursed his mouth and nodded as he put the deck in his pocket and adjusted Liya just to make sure he wouldn't drop her. "I'm fine… just can't believe that after all this time, there's a lead." Kay gave him a sympathetic smile, "Believe it or not, this is the first time I can confidently say that Johnny's going to come home."

"You know, it's really admirable that you've kept hope for all this."

Cameron gave a small smile, "I've always believed that hope can be a powerful thing."

They gave each other a smile and spent a moment in silence, watching the city lights before Ayana tried to wiggle out of her mother's hold to join her sister in Cameron's arms. Kay tried to get her to calm down.

"Ayana honey, be careful."

Cameron chuckled, "If Ayana wants a hug too, I don't mind." He opened his other arm as a sign to the little girl that she could join her sister.

"You sure?"

Cameron nodded, "Positive. It's a good thing I have enough arms because if you had triplets then things might be a little difficult," he joked.

Kay helped him adjust both girls in a way that would be easy for him to hold them both at once. What really surprised her was just how fast her girls warmed up to him. She knew that Cameron was a good man, but it was still a little odd that Ayana and Liya could see that so quickly too.

"Hey there Ayana. You didn't want to miss out on the fun either, did you?"

The older twin giggled as her tiny hand gripped his shirt. Kay smiled. It wasn't often she felt comfortable letting her daughters be held by someone else, but she trusted Cameron.

"Hey Kay?"

Kay raised her eyebrow. "Yeah?"

"We have some chocolate chip cookies." He didn't notice the way the girls perked up at the word 'cookie'. "Do you mind if I give them one?"

"Cookie?" Ayana squeaked.

Kay smiled. "Well, they already heard the word 'cookie' so you kind of have to give them one now." Cameron laughed at that. "Why do you have chocolate chip cookies in the first place?"

"Agent Daniels," he gasped in mock offense, "I might be a man of fine tastes, but I can enjoy a good chocolate chip cookie once in a while." Kay rolled her eyes at his childishness.

"Cookie!" Liya babbled.

Kay's chuckle turned to laughter. She knew the girls' sweet tooth would distract them. "Well, we should probably get them their cookies."

She reached to take one of the girls when Cameron just cuddled them closer to him. "You know I don't mind holding them for a little while."

"Are you sure?"

He nodded, "Oh yeah. You've had a long day too, let me help you by carrying around these adorable little ladies." Kay couldn't help but smile as they made their way back inside.

 _Three years ago…_

 _Cameron and Jordan pulled up to the building they asked the cab driver to take them. "Why are we here?" Cameron narrowed his eyes in suspicion._

" _Why do you think?" His friend responded, "This is your punishment."_

" _Oh my God, Jordan, you don't mean..."_

" _Oh… but I do." Cameron rolled his eyes, "Hey! You lost our wager." Jordan retaliated, "If you had won, you so would have watched me dye my hair pink!"_

 _Cameron paused. "...You're not going to come inside to watch me do this are you?" Jordan gave him a look. "I'm sorry Jordan, but the way you say things all sound very suggestive!"_

" _Just go do it!"_

" _Fine." he huffed. They both got out of the cab and went inside the building. It was a bank and all Jordan had dared him to do was make a donation. He stayed at the front desk until the deed was done. There was nothing to be ashamed of. It wasn't as if Cameron was the first person to make a donation like this._

 _In fact… he was the 478th person to make a donation for that particular bank._


End file.
